A police man on guard outside Notre Dame Cathedral in the centre of Paris. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS: Two suspects were in custody on Wednesday after French police found several gas cylinders in a car near Paris's Notre Dame cathedral, sources close to the investigation said.
Anti-terror prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation, the sources said, adding that no detonators were found in the car.
The car's owner and an associate, both known to police, were arrested on Tuesday, they said.
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Notre Dame is one of Paris's most visited landmarks attracting 13 million visitors each year.
France has been rocked by a string of deadly attacks claimed by Islamic State group militants.
In July, 86 people were killed when a truck ploughed into a Bastille Day crowd in the southern resort of Nice with Islamic State saying it was driven by one of its followers.
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Less than two weeks later, two young extremists murdered a priest near the northern city of Rouen.
IS also claimed responsibility for the November 2015 attacks on Paris that killed 130 people and injured hundreds.
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